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Fane #1
The Forest Lord
From bestselling author Susan Krinard comes a passionate, richly textured story of a powerful Fane whose one hope for love turns out to be the very woman he has vowed to destroy...
After a night of heated passion six years ago, Eden Bradwell made the shattering discovery that the man she was about to marry was no mortal. He was a monster, a woodlands guardian spirit named Lord Hern who needed an heir to end the exile that had been imposed upon him. Devastated by his deception, Eden fled Hartsmere and wed another.
In a deep sleep for the last five years, Hern, the Forest Lord, has been informed that Eden—the woman he'd courted all those years ago and who had shunned his true form—has returned to Hartsmere, along with the boy he'd been told was dead. Vowing to steal back his son—and wreak vengeance upon the woman who betrayed him—Hern assumes the identity of a servant named Hartley Shaw. But with each moment he spends with the elegant woman and his beautiful son, his heart begins to cast off the bands of iron that has bound it—and he becomes devoted to finding something that will redeem the woman he has come to love.
After a night of heated passion six years ago, Eden Bradwell made the shattering discovery that the man she was about to marry was no mortal. He was a monster, a woodlands guardian spirit named Lord Hern who needed an heir to end the exile that had been imposed upon him. Devastated by his deception, Eden fled Hartsmere and wed another.
In a deep sleep for the last five years, Hern, the Forest Lord, has been informed that Eden—the woman he'd courted all those years ago and who had shunned his true form—has returned to Hartsmere, along with the boy he'd been told was dead. Vowing to steal back his son—and wreak vengeance upon the woman who betrayed him—Hern assumes the identity of a servant named Hartley Shaw. But with each moment he spends with the elegant woman and his beautiful son, his heart begins to cast off the bands of iron that has bound it—and he becomes devoted to finding something that will redeem the woman he has come to love.
390 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 1, 2002
18 people are currently reading
720 people want to read
About the author
Susan Krinard
76 books330 followersTrained as an artist with a BFA in Illustration from the California College of Arts and Crafts, Susan Krinard became a writer in 1992 when a friend read a short story she'd written and suggested she try writing a romance novel. A long-time fan of science fiction and fantasy, Susan began reading romance -- and realized what she wanted to do was combine the two genres. Prince of Wolves, her first romance novel and one of the earliest to feature a werewolf hero, was the result. Within a year Susan had sold the manuscript to Bantam as part of a three-book contract, and the novel went on to make several bestseller lists.
Since then, she's written and published over fourteen paranormal and fantasy novels, and written stories for a number of anthologies, both fantasy and romance. Both the anthology Out of This World (which included Susan's "Kinsman") and the novel Lord of the Beasts appeared on the New York Times Bestseller List.
Susan makes her home in New Mexico, the "Land of Enchantment", with her husband Serge, their dogs Freya, Nahla and Cagney, and their cat Jefferson. In addition to writing, Susan's interests include music of almost every kind, old movies, reading, nature, baking, and collecting unique handmade jewelry and decorative crafts.
Since then, she's written and published over fourteen paranormal and fantasy novels, and written stories for a number of anthologies, both fantasy and romance. Both the anthology Out of This World (which included Susan's "Kinsman") and the novel Lord of the Beasts appeared on the New York Times Bestseller List.
Susan makes her home in New Mexico, the "Land of Enchantment", with her husband Serge, their dogs Freya, Nahla and Cagney, and their cat Jefferson. In addition to writing, Susan's interests include music of almost every kind, old movies, reading, nature, baking, and collecting unique handmade jewelry and decorative crafts.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
May 3, 2017
Ever since Adam dressed up as Hern for a dance in L.J. Smith's The Secret Circle series, all I've ever wanted was a romantic lead with antlers.
Duh, what else would I want?
Well, I finally got my wish.
I really wanted to love The Forest Lord. In the beginning, I did. It was going to be so epic! So romantic! So smutty!
Alas, it wasn't quite what I expected. I enjoyed the romance, but I wish there had been less drama (much of which was due to other characters meddling). There was a lot of sex, but only three brief scenes were detailed, and the rest we were only told happened. The story spans nearly a year, which is good for the inclusion of various pagan festivals, but not conducive to a tightly woven story.
I did like the descriptions of the wood and the forest lord's powers (I do wish there had been a sex scene with him in his true form, wearing antlers, OBVIOUSLY). This book was just too... sprawling, and at the end the drama went into overload. The final confrontation begins in a parlor and for a while every character just keeps showing up in the doorway at just the right moment.
So much potential, but sadly this book didn't live up to my expectations.
Fun fact for anyone interested: the third book in this series is about the King of the Unicorns.
Duh, what else would I want?
Well, I finally got my wish.
I really wanted to love The Forest Lord. In the beginning, I did. It was going to be so epic! So romantic! So smutty!
Alas, it wasn't quite what I expected. I enjoyed the romance, but I wish there had been less drama (much of which was due to other characters meddling). There was a lot of sex, but only three brief scenes were detailed, and the rest we were only told happened. The story spans nearly a year, which is good for the inclusion of various pagan festivals, but not conducive to a tightly woven story.
I did like the descriptions of the wood and the forest lord's powers (I do wish there had been a sex scene with him in his true form, wearing antlers, OBVIOUSLY). This book was just too... sprawling, and at the end the drama went into overload. The final confrontation begins in a parlor and for a while every character just keeps showing up in the doorway at just the right moment.
So much potential, but sadly this book didn't live up to my expectations.
Fun fact for anyone interested: the third book in this series is about the King of the Unicorns.
September 12, 2008
I grabbed this book because I have been having an insane week, and wanted something stupid, therefore I acknowledge I have no one but myself to blame. This review contains spoilers, and also I expect I shall make use of vulgar language.
Right, so Lord Bradwell is hunting in his lands when he's caught by the mystical being he recently (unwisely) decided was probably legendary and therefore no barrier to hunting in his own lands. WHOOPS. The fairy demands Bradwell's daughter, so he can knock her up and take the resulting child, and Bradwell sort of agrees: "Yes! I mean, um, if you can convince her to marry you!" Later, when the fairy does, Bradwell decides he meant "no," and reveals to his daughter the nature of her suitor.
Luckily, Eden and the man she supposed was her cousin from India are not actually married at this point. Unluckily, Eden is knocked up. Eden is rather upset to discover her cousin wears an eighteen point rack (of horns, I mean,) and flees, gives birth to a stillborn (OR SO SHE THINKS (spoiler)) child, and is hastily married off to a man her father hopes will salvage her reputation.
Six years later, her wastrel husband finally dies, and Eden discovers her child wasn't stillborn after all. Eden has been living in London, under the patronage of her society aunt, and has gained a reputation for taking lover after lover (in the acceptable and polite society manner of married ladies) but her husband has spent all her money, so she, stunned by the knowledge she has a child, is forced to return to her father's country estate. By the way, her father may or may not be dead, no one's sure!
When she gets there, she is shocked to discover the state of disrepair and poverty: it turns out that the blessing the land lay under may have been mildly, um, broken, what with trying to kill the being who provided it. Also, her son, supposedly somewhere in Ireland and irretrievably lost shows up in the driveway. How? Why? Quick, look over there!
Eden dedicates her energies to the wellbeing of her son, and to a secondary extent, her tenants, which is when the eponymous Forest Lord discovers she may have tricked him about the whole "the kid died" thing, and shows up, in disguise, bent on revenge.
The Forest Lord is described as 'fane' (which is pretty obviously 'fae' with an n added,) Hern, Hartley (get it?), and Cornelius Fleming. At this point, he shows up as Hartley Shaw, common laborer, and is hired on at the stable.
As you do, Eden feels herself strangely drawn to this man, but recognizes that a fling with the hostler will probably not improve her reputation, which she now cares about as it will bear on her son. Speaking of her son, Donal, he thinks the aforementioned hostler is the bees knees, and Eden is continually retrieving him from the stable.
Eventually, Eden succumbs to Hartley's not-terribly-well-demonstrated charms, leading, first, to this sentence: "This was not the fumbling, crude caress of a laborer or farmer," and second, to the revelation that Eden hasn't actually been taking lovers, and has merely been fooling everyone (including, somehow, all the men who thought they were getting laid?). Her only sexual experience was with her pseudo-cousin, and an unpleasantly rapey (quick, look over there!) episode with her wastrel husband. She's been "saving herself... for what, she did not know" So, clearly she's well qualified to evaluate someone's kissing performance as a reflection of their class.
So, Eden and Hartley begin sneaking off together on a regular basis, aided by the actions of the housekeeper, Mrs. Byrne, who tells Eden she's just happy to see her happy. I had to smack myself ion the head with my paperback pretty much every time Mrs. Byrne showed up. One of the villagers actually tells Eden not to worry since the they totally will not let anyone know.
A major point is that Hartley, as one of the fane, is incapable of love, although he has become pretty fond of Eden and is indisputably quite fond of Donal. Eden has convinced herself that Hartley is probably the result of a union such as that which produced Donal, explaining his magical facility with animals, and I actually liked the way that at least part of his attraction to her was that he was in a position to understand her son.
At this point, aunt Claudia's resistance to Hartley becomes the driving force behind the story: so opposed is she to her niece's romantic mesalliance that she hires some early Winchester ancestor from America to deal with the unnatural being who has mesmerized her niece.
No, seriously: "a near savage from the former colonies of America, who had [questions about] 'demons' and 'wendigos.' He insisted upon the existence of such supernatural creatures and said he had forged paths across the trackless wastes of forest and plain in pursuit of them. He had not been shy of boasting about his God-given calling to destroy them wherever they nested." If this book hadn't been published in 2002, I'd be pretty sure where that came from.
Anywho, Claudia reveals to Eden that Hartley is in fact Cornelius, come to take back his son. Eden flees back to London, half out of her mind, and aided in getting there by the opium her aunt has been dosing her with. Hartley shows up, once again in disguise as Cornelius, severely weakened by his distance from his forest, but also by being shot by Claudia. We learn that Eden's father is in fact alive (What? Why? Quick, look over there!), Eden realizes that Claudia is in fact mad, (Why? How? Quick, look over there!) and that Cornelius/Hartley has the advantage of being sane-ish and having her son's best interests at heart, so she heals him with sex. I have to say, I think I find the magical healing cunt a pleasant change from the magical healing cock.
There's a big confrontation involving cold iron and guns, and Hartley finally discovers himself to be capable of sacrifice, but more interestingly, we discover that Claudia is actually Eden's mother, (What? Why!?) and that Eden's actual father was turned into a fox by Hartly, years ago, providing Claudia with motivation for her raging hate on. Hartley, in remorse, restores the foxy-dad (who, the book manages to almost certainly unintentionally imply, has been populating the forest with vulpine half-uncles and aunts to Donal), Claudia is consumed with remorse for nearly separating her daughter from her one and only, and everyone lives happily ever after.
Oh, and also the housekeeper is a fairy, who takes her leave with "Blessed be." I smacked myself in the head with the paperback.
Right, so Lord Bradwell is hunting in his lands when he's caught by the mystical being he recently (unwisely) decided was probably legendary and therefore no barrier to hunting in his own lands. WHOOPS. The fairy demands Bradwell's daughter, so he can knock her up and take the resulting child, and Bradwell sort of agrees: "Yes! I mean, um, if you can convince her to marry you!" Later, when the fairy does, Bradwell decides he meant "no," and reveals to his daughter the nature of her suitor.
Luckily, Eden and the man she supposed was her cousin from India are not actually married at this point. Unluckily, Eden is knocked up. Eden is rather upset to discover her cousin wears an eighteen point rack (of horns, I mean,) and flees, gives birth to a stillborn (OR SO SHE THINKS (spoiler)) child, and is hastily married off to a man her father hopes will salvage her reputation.
Six years later, her wastrel husband finally dies, and Eden discovers her child wasn't stillborn after all. Eden has been living in London, under the patronage of her society aunt, and has gained a reputation for taking lover after lover (in the acceptable and polite society manner of married ladies) but her husband has spent all her money, so she, stunned by the knowledge she has a child, is forced to return to her father's country estate. By the way, her father may or may not be dead, no one's sure!
When she gets there, she is shocked to discover the state of disrepair and poverty: it turns out that the blessing the land lay under may have been mildly, um, broken, what with trying to kill the being who provided it. Also, her son, supposedly somewhere in Ireland and irretrievably lost shows up in the driveway. How? Why? Quick, look over there!
Eden dedicates her energies to the wellbeing of her son, and to a secondary extent, her tenants, which is when the eponymous Forest Lord discovers she may have tricked him about the whole "the kid died" thing, and shows up, in disguise, bent on revenge.
The Forest Lord is described as 'fane' (which is pretty obviously 'fae' with an n added,) Hern, Hartley (get it?), and Cornelius Fleming. At this point, he shows up as Hartley Shaw, common laborer, and is hired on at the stable.
As you do, Eden feels herself strangely drawn to this man, but recognizes that a fling with the hostler will probably not improve her reputation, which she now cares about as it will bear on her son. Speaking of her son, Donal, he thinks the aforementioned hostler is the bees knees, and Eden is continually retrieving him from the stable.
Eventually, Eden succumbs to Hartley's not-terribly-well-demonstrated charms, leading, first, to this sentence: "This was not the fumbling, crude caress of a laborer or farmer," and second, to the revelation that Eden hasn't actually been taking lovers, and has merely been fooling everyone (including, somehow, all the men who thought they were getting laid?). Her only sexual experience was with her pseudo-cousin, and an unpleasantly rapey (quick, look over there!) episode with her wastrel husband. She's been "saving herself... for what, she did not know" So, clearly she's well qualified to evaluate someone's kissing performance as a reflection of their class.
So, Eden and Hartley begin sneaking off together on a regular basis, aided by the actions of the housekeeper, Mrs. Byrne, who tells Eden she's just happy to see her happy. I had to smack myself ion the head with my paperback pretty much every time Mrs. Byrne showed up. One of the villagers actually tells Eden not to worry since the they totally will not let anyone know.
A major point is that Hartley, as one of the fane, is incapable of love, although he has become pretty fond of Eden and is indisputably quite fond of Donal. Eden has convinced herself that Hartley is probably the result of a union such as that which produced Donal, explaining his magical facility with animals, and I actually liked the way that at least part of his attraction to her was that he was in a position to understand her son.
At this point, aunt Claudia's resistance to Hartley becomes the driving force behind the story: so opposed is she to her niece's romantic mesalliance that she hires some early Winchester ancestor from America to deal with the unnatural being who has mesmerized her niece.
No, seriously: "a near savage from the former colonies of America, who had [questions about] 'demons' and 'wendigos.' He insisted upon the existence of such supernatural creatures and said he had forged paths across the trackless wastes of forest and plain in pursuit of them. He had not been shy of boasting about his God-given calling to destroy them wherever they nested." If this book hadn't been published in 2002, I'd be pretty sure where that came from.
Anywho, Claudia reveals to Eden that Hartley is in fact Cornelius, come to take back his son. Eden flees back to London, half out of her mind, and aided in getting there by the opium her aunt has been dosing her with. Hartley shows up, once again in disguise as Cornelius, severely weakened by his distance from his forest, but also by being shot by Claudia. We learn that Eden's father is in fact alive (What? Why? Quick, look over there!), Eden realizes that Claudia is in fact mad, (Why? How? Quick, look over there!) and that Cornelius/Hartley has the advantage of being sane-ish and having her son's best interests at heart, so she heals him with sex. I have to say, I think I find the magical healing cunt a pleasant change from the magical healing cock.
There's a big confrontation involving cold iron and guns, and Hartley finally discovers himself to be capable of sacrifice, but more interestingly, we discover that Claudia is actually Eden's mother, (What? Why!?) and that Eden's actual father was turned into a fox by Hartly, years ago, providing Claudia with motivation for her raging hate on. Hartley, in remorse, restores the foxy-dad (who, the book manages to almost certainly unintentionally imply, has been populating the forest with vulpine half-uncles and aunts to Donal), Claudia is consumed with remorse for nearly separating her daughter from her one and only, and everyone lives happily ever after.
Oh, and also the housekeeper is a fairy, who takes her leave with "Blessed be." I smacked myself in the head with the paperback.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 17, 2010
Well this was a fun book! Sure I can get into the little things like how the author promotes a message of evil hunters poor animals.. But you take from things what you want and leave behind what you don't and those messages were appropriate for this type of fantasy. It was well written and the story flowed with some twists and turns which kept it interesting and it had all resolves itself in the end! Everyone in the book had gotten a HEA and it all wrapped up sweetly with love can conquer all theme! And that is precisey why I chose a book like this so I wasn't surprised nor was I left disapointed in the end!
So if your looking for fairy tale romance, magic of the fae and a
love of nature, it's all here in a fun story!
So if your looking for fairy tale romance, magic of the fae and a
love of nature, it's all here in a fun story!
March 10, 2008
I was really surprised by this book. It is, in many ways, a romance novel. That is its official genre..not a genre I have fondness for. HOWEVER, the man in the novel is a faery...not a little winged thing, but the type of faery of the faery traditions. That part was really well researched and gave the novel a good plot and made it really interesting and compelling for me. Also, it helped me understand some issues in the faery tradition that are more powerfully portrayed in this medium than in more scholarly texts. I don't think the bits about Tir-na-nog are right...but I think some of the other is quite inspired.
June 3, 2018
Lovely paranormal romance. Certainly interesting compared to many paranormal books out there.
January 18, 2009
Perhaps 3.5 stars worth rather than a true 4, but an interesting read. I wasn't entirely sure what to expect with this book but I enjoyed it for what it was. There are elements of fantasy, history, and romance intermingled.
There is a sequel to this book which I might read if I can find it.
There is a sequel to this book which I might read if I can find it.
December 31, 2017
3.5ish. Interesting combo of fantasy and historical fiction. It was ALMOST four stars for me, but there was just a tad too much happening.
August 10, 2022
Decent pacing. Fun tale. =)
November 4, 2024
Love love love
March 5, 2019
The Forest Lord was a very enjoyable read and rather surprising. It is a fantasy/historical romance. 4.5/5 stars
September 21, 2013
In northern England during the early 1800's a woodland spirit named Lord Hern is the guardian of an ancient forest and its animals. The landowner's family was promised prosperity (by the immortal Hern) countless generations ago if the heirs prevented hunting in the forest and kept it pristine. But one landowner chased an animal into the woods and broke the covenant. As punishment for his misdeed he must give his daughter to Lord Hern so that a half-blood child could be gotten from her. This child is the price Hern must pay to return to his home realm as these fane (fairies) do not breed well and the child can be used to increase their numbers. Similar to a fairy tale, it shows the end of the "old ways" and the rise of humans. The confrontation between the fairy realm and Lord Hern is a bit difficult at the book's end but other than that it's a good read for a chilly winter's evening!
January 20, 2014
I really enjoyed this book, though the beginning was a little boring. I'm glad I got through it because the rest of the book was really good. Some things were a little more drawn out than they needed to be and at the end you have no idea who Nuala is, but that's the only bad things I can think of. The story is really unpredictable and sweet. :c) and if you are someone who needs strict logic in their romances, this is probably not the book for you...
March 7, 2014
This is a great book! I just loved it! Every time I thought it was going in one direction and heading there fast, someone was bound to change their direction again, and again. Its a great story that will find the willpower of everyone to come to find out what it is that they each want and love the most. It will test their strengths and mind to the very end.
January 9, 2013
I first saw the cover and was like 'what is this?' then I read it and saw that it was a regency/fairy book and I was like "SCORE!". This is a very good book and I enjoyed it much, it had so much whimsy and delight to it that I was thrilled. I cannot wait to read more of this author's works!
Read
January 7, 2010Good historical series but much slower-paced than her Werewolf series.
January 22, 2011
good book
June 29, 2013
I loved it. Another favourite. It's a sweet love-hate story;)
June 21, 2025
THE FOREST LORD was fantastic. It was exactly the sort of book I wanted to read: a story of magic and revenge and love and second chances, wrapped up in a fairytale-like story about the fae and an enchanted wood. Basically, the heroine's dad is an earl and one of his holdings is a place called Hartsmere, which is steeped in legend and superstition: and one of the superstitions is that no one may hunt there. But guess what daddy does? HE HUNTS. BOO. And then Herne, Lord of the Forest, appears in all his terrible glory and demands an offspring off of Cyrus's daughter.
Anyway, shenanigans ensue, and Herne reveals himself to Eden after they've boinked in an inn on their way to their elopement, and as anyone does when their partner sprouts horns from their forehead, she freaks out and runs away. When she realizes she's pregnant, everyone is horrified, but the baby dies, and Herne is pissed, so he curses the land and goes off into the woods to rage-sleep in a tree (as one does). It's the faerie version of "screw you guys, I'm going home."
Eden marries another guy who's a total abusive asshole and HE tells the heroine that she's actually got a kid THIS WHOLE TIME. Her dad lied to her. So she goes to Hartsmere and her child is there, waiting for her: a cute little kid named Donal who also has a little touch of the fae about him. But she's not the only one who knows about his presence. Herne has spies everywhere, and one of them has just informed him that he's a dad, and that his traitorous wife-would-be is back in town.
All of this literally happens within the first couple chapters, btw. So these aren't even spoilers.
I loved this book so much. Most of it is five-star good. I mean, it made me like SECRET BABY. I literally cannot fucking stand that trope. But it worked here. This book also made me like second-chance and even the big misunderstanding trope (both of which I normally hate). Which I guess just goes to show that in the right hands, even the worst, most irritating, unreadable tropes can work. My favorite parts of the book were the beautiful descriptions of the woods and the changing of the seasons, and I loved all of the pagan holidays. As an Irish girl living in the U.S., I often feel disconnected from my culture, so reading this book filled me with the same wonderful feelings that I get while reading a particularly good fairy legend, or singing Dark Iniseoghain or Moorlough Shore.
The reason this isn't a five-star read is the ending. It was a little ridiculous and I felt like maybe the author did not know how to end her book after stretching it out for a little too long. It was just twist after twist after twist, and I felt like it also maybe jumped the shark (or should I say, the stag?). That said, Eden and Hartley's love story is one that's going to be rent-free in my head for a while, and I've already bought the second book in the series, which is about Donal, all grown up. I think it's hard to write a fantasy romance without coming across as too campy, especially if it also straddles part of the so-called "real world." But this one did such a beautiful job. I can't wait to read more from this author.
4 stars
Anyway, shenanigans ensue, and Herne reveals himself to Eden after they've boinked in an inn on their way to their elopement, and as anyone does when their partner sprouts horns from their forehead, she freaks out and runs away. When she realizes she's pregnant, everyone is horrified, but the baby dies, and Herne is pissed, so he curses the land and goes off into the woods to rage-sleep in a tree (as one does). It's the faerie version of "screw you guys, I'm going home."
Eden marries another guy who's a total abusive asshole and HE tells the heroine that she's actually got a kid THIS WHOLE TIME. Her dad lied to her. So she goes to Hartsmere and her child is there, waiting for her: a cute little kid named Donal who also has a little touch of the fae about him. But she's not the only one who knows about his presence. Herne has spies everywhere, and one of them has just informed him that he's a dad, and that his traitorous wife-would-be is back in town.
All of this literally happens within the first couple chapters, btw. So these aren't even spoilers.
I loved this book so much. Most of it is five-star good. I mean, it made me like SECRET BABY. I literally cannot fucking stand that trope. But it worked here. This book also made me like second-chance and even the big misunderstanding trope (both of which I normally hate). Which I guess just goes to show that in the right hands, even the worst, most irritating, unreadable tropes can work. My favorite parts of the book were the beautiful descriptions of the woods and the changing of the seasons, and I loved all of the pagan holidays. As an Irish girl living in the U.S., I often feel disconnected from my culture, so reading this book filled me with the same wonderful feelings that I get while reading a particularly good fairy legend, or singing Dark Iniseoghain or Moorlough Shore.
The reason this isn't a five-star read is the ending. It was a little ridiculous and I felt like maybe the author did not know how to end her book after stretching it out for a little too long. It was just twist after twist after twist, and I felt like it also maybe jumped the shark (or should I say, the stag?). That said, Eden and Hartley's love story is one that's going to be rent-free in my head for a while, and I've already bought the second book in the series, which is about Donal, all grown up. I think it's hard to write a fantasy romance without coming across as too campy, especially if it also straddles part of the so-called "real world." But this one did such a beautiful job. I can't wait to read more from this author.
4 stars
August 14, 2019
Hern, the forest lord wants to return to Tir-na-nog the fairy kingdom. Before he can, he needs to father a half human child to help continue his race. When Eden Fleming's father iscaught in Hern's forest, he spares his life in exchange for a marriage with his daughter Eden. Transformed into the human form of Cornelius Fleming, he courts Eden, and they nearly elope. After having the wedding night (and getting her pregnant), the marriage is stopped and Cornelius disappears. Eden is told her son died at childbirth and goes on to marry a gambler, but everything falls apart. Five years later, Eden, now an impoverished widow returns to her holdings at Hartsmere, where it all began. There she meets her son Donal and Hartley Shaw a.k.a. Cornelius also shows up. Without knowing who or what Hartley is, Eden falls in love again, but her aunt/mother has her own agenda and does her best to destroy Hartley, Donal and their relationship to Eden. Unusual, more interesting than the first few chapters indicate.
July 24, 2023
It's really a 2 star for me, but I loved the setting and world building.
That being said, I never came around to Eden. She was weak and let everyone push her around. Her reasoning for not letting Donal call her mother was feeble and, as a mother, didn't understand her motives. Fuck convention and reputation. Her life was in a rural area where she technically never had to face the ton again, so why the secrecy, why the concern for her standing? Did I miss something? That's your kid, dude!
Also, I felt like there was too many scooby-doo masks being ripped off here and Hartlys reasoning for simply not grabbing the kid and disappearing was shaky. He goes from HATING Eden to giving her the benefit of the doubt. At the end of this I just didn't believe that love existed for ANY of these characters.
That being said, I never came around to Eden. She was weak and let everyone push her around. Her reasoning for not letting Donal call her mother was feeble and, as a mother, didn't understand her motives. Fuck convention and reputation. Her life was in a rural area where she technically never had to face the ton again, so why the secrecy, why the concern for her standing? Did I miss something? That's your kid, dude!
Also, I felt like there was too many scooby-doo masks being ripped off here and Hartlys reasoning for simply not grabbing the kid and disappearing was shaky. He goes from HATING Eden to giving her the benefit of the doubt. At the end of this I just didn't believe that love existed for ANY of these characters.
September 4, 2023
There are a lot of reviews out there of this book. I did like it, I found the villain a refreshingly choice ( a woman) and I loved Donal ( I usually don’t care that much about children in books when they aren’t the main character). Unfortunately I have to agree with a lot of reviews that the end part was rushed and twisted. But a plus that I at one point almost was afraid to continue reading as I was fretting about what the villain would do… so 4 stars, although I did skip some parts towards the end.
January 2, 2019
I first started this in 2015, got a little ways in, and forgot about it. At the end of 2018, I tried again... and kept forgetting about it. I don't know why, because nothing seems to be wrong with it and I was really excited about the historical/fantasy combination, but it's just failing to hold my interest. I finally decided to DNF it at 100 pages (and also skimmed the ending to see what happened.)
June 16, 2020
My first concern was that I'd really have to read a romance where the hero's name was Cornelius. Fortunately I was spared that much.
It was oddly convoluted and complicated the entire way through, and just about every moment of it was frustrating. The "villain" is ignored or brushed off repeatedly right up to the epilogue. The final resolution didn't make a whole lot of sense.
Also, like. Can we talk about the whole sex-will-heal-me part? That was just weird.
It was oddly convoluted and complicated the entire way through, and just about every moment of it was frustrating. The "villain" is ignored or brushed off repeatedly right up to the epilogue. The final resolution didn't make a whole lot of sense.
Also, like. Can we talk about the whole sex-will-heal-me part? That was just weird.
February 14, 2019
The H was supernatural and the h was the normal historical female. The supernatural aspect made this a good book. Hidden intrigue regarding the "Aunt" who turned out to be not only her mother but also her biggest enemy. The H & h deserved their happy ending. Not so much the aunt/mother but she got it anyway.
September 24, 2023
🌲5 stars!🌲
I loved The Forest Lord!
tropes: hate-to-love, second chance, parents romance, fantastical romance, deception, disguised identity, hero has a child, heroine has a child
I loved The Forest Lord!
tropes: hate-to-love, second chance, parents romance, fantastical romance, deception, disguised identity, hero has a child, heroine has a child
August 3, 2018
Not bad. Interesting story.
February 23, 2020
Romance and Fae
October 13, 2020
2 and a half *, folklore, fantasy and romance.
June 24, 2022
Bizarre
March 3, 2023
This was a good story which goes to show good will prevail in the end, just have faith. Loved it!!
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